The Seven-Eyed model of clinical supervision (Hawkins and Shohet 2006) AKA the Psychosynthesis model focusses on the relationship between client-therapist-supervisor and looks at the interaction between each of these relationships and their context within the wider system. This looks like quite a complicated model, but broken down it is a deep dive observation and critical analysis model where the therapist really has to focus on observing the client’s verbal and non-verbal cues, and reflect on their reasoning with that client right from the minute they enter the therapy room.
1. Concentrates on the client how and what they present - how the therapist describes the client (physical appearance, non-verbal communication, the clients use of language, how the client may see the therapist, and what the client maybe holding back).
2. Concentrates on Interventions – the therapist may reflect upon why they use certain interventions, is that intervention right for that client or is it that the therapist just feels comfortable with giving out that intervention. The supervisor will critically analyse with the therapist their reasoning for that intervention for that client.
3. Concentrates on the client-therapist relationship - dynamics between client and therapist, transference from the client, boundaries and the overall observation of the session from the therapist.
4. Concentrates on the therapist - how have they been consciously/unconsciously affected by the client. The therapist is encouraged to review the session with the client as if they were an observer of the session and make notes on how they felt, what their non-verbal cues told the client, reading between the lines of what the client is telling them and wanting from them, and what they are wanting from the client (e.g. for the client to be pleased with them).
5. Concentrates on therapist-supervisor relationship. Is this a quality alliance? How may this relationship unconsciously be aligned to the dynamics between the therapist-client relationship (Parallel process). The therapist is encouraged to reflect on how they behave in a session with their supervisor. Are they acting like the client they are talking about? Are they holding anything back from the supervisor because they think this client is holding things back from them? How do they view their supervisor?
6. The supervisor concentrating on their own process - the supervisor must examine their immediate experiences of that supervision session - thoughts, feelings, how this may give them an insight into the client-therapist relationship. The supervisor may have got to know the therapist’s client indirectly through hearing about the session from the therapist. In this case the supervisor must reflect back how the therapist’s description of the client has made them feel (sad, lonely etc) and the supervisor must review this in looking at their own process in the session with the therapist (supervisee).
7. Concentrates on the wider context of the work - the client and their social and economic context, the therapist’s organisational context (the organisational policies/funding restraints) which are determining the client-therapist relationship (i.e. number of sessions) professional ethics and code of conduct (any regulatory bodies the therapist and the supervisor are members of), the wider professional world of the client, therapist and supervisor (GP, Social Care, Support services, safeguarding boards) and the wider world of the lives of client, therapist and supervisor and how these influence experiences. Overall, used correctly, this is an excellent model for helping the therapist and supervisor with decisions around ethical dilemmas.
